Manchester Evening News report that police patrolling the area around the player’s house in Bowdon, Altrincham – known as ‘Millionaire’s Row’ – say they saw smoke coming from the player’s house where they discovered a ‘large fire’.

It’s thought the whirlpool bath caused the incident due to an electrical fault, and the flames had spread to nearby decking to the rear of the property that could have caused serious damage if they had not soon been put out.

Police say they tried to tackle the blaze on arrival at the scene with a garden hose but had to wait for fire services to arrive before the fire could be fully extinguished.

“Just after 8pm on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, a crew from Altrincham Fire Station attended a house in Altrincham after reports of a fire in a back garden,” said the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

“Police were in the area when they spotted smoke and reported a fire to our control centre.

“When we arrived it was quite a large fire involving a whirlpool bath and decking, which could have easily become something more serious.

“The police officers who were at the scene used a garden hose on the fire and when we arrived we extinguished it using a hose reel. The most likely cause was an accidental electrical fault.”

The Red Devils defender wasn’t in his property at the time, with an Instagram post late in the evening revealing him to be at a poker night with friends at another location.